Darby Pop Publishing 2017
Written & Lettered by Luis Roldan Torquemada
Illustrated by Mariano Eliceche
Coloured by Angel Lidon
Marc Roister – an itinerant poker player in trouble with the local mob – and Travis Tremblay – an ex-photographer with substance abuse issues – are suddenly remembering things, places and people that seem to have been erased from both collective memory and recorded history. Fearing the spread of a virus-like plague, a mysterious group known as “The Handlers” is tasked with hunting and destroying those who recollect. But, does the end justify the means? And is a single random memory worth dying for?
I think the concept here is what really attracts me to this story. Then of course the opening here which takes the story that Luis is telling and not only expands it but engages the reader’s mind in new and exciting ways. So while we’ve got people remembering things that no longer exist there’s also a place where those things are stored in a kind of reality nexus if you will. This is all my summation of what i’m seeing I have no idea if it’s right but the possibility is fascinating!
Mariano and Angel’s work on the interiors here is so beyond what I was expecting and hoping for. The opening alone with this visual tour of the forbidden library with the music playing it has so much depth, emotion and sense of mystery about it and the attention to detail is stunning here. Then there’s the use of page layouts through their angles and perspective which is tight. The utilisation of backgrounds here makes me so happy that we see the bigger picture throughout the whole book.
It’s kind of weird and interesting to see how this story is structured. How Marc finds himself wrapped up in all this is great, it has a lot of open holes that leave room for a lot storytelling while not losing the reader in the process. That’s incredibly important too because you need enough to keep us interested and to advance the story while leaving a few key elements up in the air to engage the reader’s mind. Then there’s also the other characters woven into the story and their characterisation is flawless.
Darby Pop has some great concepts in the books they produce. The originality and creativity that we get to see through their books make for some excellent escape style adventures. This is the kind of action/thriller that could easily be translated past the comic medium into a movie. There’s a great story here with strong characters, characterisation and direction.
This is how you tell a story that is engaging, thought provoking and utterly senseless and compelling book. There’s as much reveal and guidance as there is that sense of letting the reader believe they can predict the direction its heading.